Strawberry Springs Neighborhood Watch
Marjorie Brown:The winds in the east ... something’s brewing. And YOU can tell us what it is after you’ve joined our weather-watching class!
Comments:
Hu Gh:I don’t need no class. I have a rock. If it’s wet, it’s raining. If it’s smoking, it’s hot. If it’s gone, then there’s a ’nado!
Marjorie Brown:That’s nice, buddy. This is for people who want to know about the tornado before it’s coming for their ass!
Hu Gh:I’m used to things coming for my ass.
Jade Clark:!!! Is no one gonna say anything?
Marjorie Brown:Nah, that sentence speaks for itself.
Staying awayfrom Grace was one of the most difficult things I’d ever done. My body craved hers. Not only for sex, but for everything.
I wanted to do this right, though. And I stuck to my guns throughout dinner and even as we watched a movie together. Grace kept glancing at me, as if still unsure if this were real, but it was.
The fear I felt told me it was.
I didn’t understand why it still lingered. I’d done the hard thing. I told her that I liked her and she had said that she liked me back. I wanted this more than anything, and if I hadn’t hidden from love for so long, I might have jumped into it with both feet.
Maybe there was something else holding me back.
I wasn’t sure what it was, but there was a buzzing in the back of my head. It told me I was doing something wrong. Did I tell her my feelings in the wrong way? Was I expecting her to change her mind at any given moment? I wasn’t sure, but it lingered even after I went to bed and got up the next morning.
I was determined to push past it. It made sense that my fears would stick around. I’d had my heart broken, after all. But I wouldn’t let that ruin this.
Nothing would ruin this.
Grace always wore incredible outfits, but today, she had gone overboard. She was in a light blue dress that showed off both her curves and her growing belly. Her curls were in perfect ringlets around her face, and she traded the light makeup for a different look that accentuated her cheekbones.
I found her gorgeous every single day I was around her, but this was something else.
“Are you trying to give me a heart attack?”
She turned and hitched her purse onto her shoulder. “A little bit. Do you like it?”
“Like it? I feel like you’re torturing me.”
“You’re the one who set the stupid rule. You even slept on a twin mattress instead of in my bed with me.”
“You play dirty.”
“I never claimed to be anything else.”
When I was in front of her, my fears were quiet. This felt natural, just like so much had with her.
“You know, after this, everyone will know.”
“Yeah, they will.” Her smile dimmed a little. “Are you having second thoughts about that? We could go out of town, if you prefer.”
“Even though they’ll all be mad about losing the bet on us getting together, I’ll deal with it.” I walked toward her and grabbed her hand. “I’m not having second thoughts about you, though.”
Her grin returned. “Let’s do this. Consequences and all.”
“You know, whoever turned you down a long time ago was an idiot. This side of you is great.”